From Magpies And Away: Ex-Newcastle United Players Who Excelled Away From Tyneside

Newcastle United have been one of the biggest clubs in England with a rich history. Players take pride in representing the Magpies and a move to St. James’ Park is always an attractive prospect for footballers across the world. Newcastle, over the years, has been home to some absolute legends like Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne and Les Ferdinand. In recent times, they have been able to attract talents like Yohan Cabaye and Siem De Jong. The recent decline in the fortunes of the club which saw them get relegated may have hampered their pull in the transfer market. But with promotion back to the Premier League on cards and an opportunity to work with a successful manager like Rafael Benitez, we might see them regain their old clout in the market.

However, not everyone who has come through the ranks or moved to Newcastle have been able to prosper at St. James’ Park. Though they failed to click in Tyneside, they have gone onto flourish and thrive in other teams. Here, we pick out three such players, who could not make it big with the Magpies, but went on to make it big after leaving them.

Fraser Forster

To be fair on Newcastle, one position where Magpies are certainly not struggling is in between the sticks. However, they would still love to have the giant Englishman in goal.

After two successful loan spells at Celtic in the 2010-11 and the 2011-12 seasons, the 6’7″ tall Forster was allowed to move permanently to Celtic during the summer of 2012, with Tim Krul and Steve Harper ahead of the Magpies academy graduate in the pecking order back then.

Since departing Tyneside without making a single appearance for the senior side, the 28-year-old has accumulated six England caps, secured a £10 million move to Southampton in 2014, and has become one of the finest goalkeepers in the Premier League.

Danny Simpson

The 29-year-old was solid during his four years at Tyneside, helping the Magpies back into the top flight and to re-establish themselves in the Premier League.

However, when his contract came to an end, the right-back was released and Simpson moved to Queens Park Rangers with whom he achieved promotion via the play-offs. Simpson then moved to Leicester City in August 2014.

As well as being part of the Foxes’ Great Escape in his first season at the King Power Stadium, he went on to lift the Premier League title last year, making 29 appearances and becoming a key performer. It has been a down slide this year for the entire Leicester team, but winning a Premier League medal is a huge feather in Simpson’s cap.